HSBC has introduced free wi-fi access in 650 of its bank branches around the UK.

Deployment of the hotspots, powered by BT Wi-Fi, follows research from BT and Avaya showing that 49 per cent of UK banking customers felt that free wi-fi would greatly improve their in-branch experience.

Its part of a strategy to encourage customers to download the HSBC app, which will see the banks customers given the chance to test out the app before downloading it and be guided through its features by staff.

“We’ve been listening to our customers about how we can make banking easier for them, and they tell us they like the idea of mobile banking, but in some cases would value being shown how it works,” said HSBC UK head of digital Carl Howard. “Our branch staff can now demo our Mobile Banking app in branch to get people started, as well as demonstrating new features such as the new mobile payment service Paym which allows customers to pay their contacts using just a mobile number.”

HSBC says it has seen over £2bn of payments and transfers made on its app, as well as over 1m log-ins each week.